Lufia II Rise of the Sinistrals
by devonm0
Summary: The story of the game, put into written form. I will change little bits like dialogue, but merely with the intention of keeping it interesting. Rated T just in case.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Within the view of an island fortress, a ball of blue energy appeared. It flew into the fortress through the front entrance, followed by a yellow ball, then by a green one. After about 20 minutes they left simultaneously, and within another 10 minutes a red ball of similar energy followed the same general path as the yellow ball from before. Within the fortress, a blue-haired girl in a light-blue ankle-length dress walked up a flight of stairs onto a regal red carpet, stopping in front of an old man who was sitting on a throne with his hands in his lap. The man wore a long, green robe that cloaked his entire body. She knelt before the man on one knee, and asked,

"You called sir?" The old man waved a hand, a sign that was taken by the girl as permission to rise. Once she was standing upright, he said to her,

"Erim...I have spoken to your brothers about a matter of urgency and now, I wish to speak to you about this as well." He paused briefly before he stood from his throne and took two steps forward. The girl, Erim, stood firm.

"Of course sir." She said to the old man, Arek, who smiled, adding tension to the moment by remaining silent for several seconds.

"Tell me, who do you think should rule this world, we Sinistrals, or the Humans who have so blatantly forgotten us?" He finally said in the form of a question. Erim quickly immediately stepped forward, adamant in her belief, and responded,

"Sir, there is nothing anyone could say that would make me rethink my belief that we deserve to rule!" In response, Arek sighed but said nothing. Still, the simple sigh was enough for Erim to back up, getting the feeling that Arek yet remains uncertain. She looked to the ground, then back up at Arek, and asked,

"But why, sir? For what possible reason would you have need to ask that question of all things?" Arek sighed again, then stepped back to sit on his throne once again. Remaining silent once again for several seconds, he said,

"It is time, Erim. Time to answer the question. We will no longer have any doubt about the answer."

He rested his chin on his hand, pressing his elbow against the arm of his throne to support his head, while Erim was left speechless for several moments before saying,

"No way! You mean the Dual Blade is...?" Arek lifted his head from his hand, which he returned to his lap, then stood, nodded, and said,

"I need someone to keep an eye on the one." Erim put her arms at her sides and nodded as well before saying,

"I understand. You can count on me sir." With little more to say, she turned and started to walk out, transforming herself once again into the red ball of energy before she reached that stairs. As the ball of energy she flew out the door and started on her search for a target currently unknown.


	2. Monsters in the Cave

Chapter 1: Monsters in the Cave

A man with red hair walked into the city of Elcid, located near the eastern coast of a large island connected to the mainland only by a bridge over a thin strait. He had sack in hand and a destination in mind, the general store run by his good friend Tia. His body armor was well crafted, offering a good deal of protection without being overly cumbersome. As he walked across the bridge that crossed the river that gave the people water, he got greetings from his fellow townspeople.

The river he was crossing was low compared to the bridge, so it could take some effort to gather water when it was needed. He approached the only building on this side of the river, and waved at the people talking behind him who noticed him before opening the door and walking in. He approached the service counter and called out, "Tia? Hey, are you home?"

Footsteps were heard, but the man was used to Tia being in the back when he returned. After all, his job as a monster hunter could take a while. A blue haired girl with a headband and dress on opened the door connecting the back room to the front room and walked out. She ran to the counter when she saw the man's face. Smiling, she said to the man, "Sorry Maxim, I was a bit busy in the back. So how was work today?"

To this the man, Maxim, smiled back and said, "Not bad. I got six jellies." He picked up the sack he had with him, which he had placed on the floor, and placed it on the counter. Thinking for a moment, Tia responded,

"Okay, so...that's 120 gold pieces, right?" She started counting out the money, but Maxim had something to say about Tia's calculations. He said to her, "Wait a minute Tia. I said six jellies, not four. Six jellies comes to 180 gold pieces!"

Tia sighed before quickly replying, "Listen Maxim I know what I'm talking about. Unfortunately for you, monsters are cheap these days. It may be hard for you to understand, but the city's suffering so I'm sorry but I can't pay the top price." Maxim simply shrugged his shoulders before saying,

"Yeah, I suppose that's understandable. Times are tough and there are more monsters every day." Tia shivered briefly before asking, "Don't you think it's spooky?"

"Maybe, but I should appreciate it, the part about the monsters I mean. After all, I am a monster hunter. I'd lose my job without them." Said Maxim. Tia left the counter to walk around next to Maxim, and when she was there next to him, she asked him, "Well Maxim, have you ever thought that maybe it would be easier for you if you had an ordinary job?" Maxim shrugged his shoulders again, then said, "What's considered an ordinary job anyway?"

Tia leaned against the counter and closed her eyes as she thought about Maxim's question. She said to him, "Well, maybe...a shop owner. That would be good wouldn't it?" Maxim laughed at this response, and said to Tia, "A shop owner? Me? No way! Total waste of talent!" To this, Tia didn't say a thing. However, she was thinking, "What do you mean 'talent'?"

Thinking he might have spaced out, Maxim asked Tia, "I'm sorry, did you say something?" In response, Tia let out an exasperated sigh and took Maxim's hand before yelling, "Forget it! Just take your money and go!" She slapped the coins into Maxim's hand, and went into the back, looking very upset.

Not really understanding what happened, Maxim went into the back to try to talk to Tia. Once back there, he asked, "What did I say wrong Tia?" Tia sighed much more calmly, and said, "Forget about it, okay? Just go about your business. Remember though, that I'll never forgive you if you get killed!"

Maxim sighed in slight relief before smiling and nodding. Following the nod, he said, "Sure thing." He left the store then, and as he approached the bridge to leave the city, a young armored man, also with red hair ran into town. He was the guard of the north cave, which served as a final bridge to the main land. The young man yelled, "Bad news, everyone!" In response, the townspeople all gathered around, including Maxim but excluding Tia. One of the women in town, named Daisy, was the first to speak up, and she asked, "What is it?"

The guard responded by saying, "It's really bad! A horde of monsters just appeared in the cave on the way to Sundletan!" A little boy who was a part of the conversation worriedly replied, "Are you sure?"

"That's terrible" Said Daisy. The guard nodded, and said, "It is, but it gets worse." "What do you mean?" Asked the boy. The guard replied, "The monsters have locked the door at the back of the cave, the one that leads to Sundletan. The leader of the horde took the key, and we can't open the door without it." To this news, the boy replied, "That's not good."

The town elder then spoke up, asking, "So, does anyone have any ideas about what to do?" The guard sighed and replied, "Well...No, I don't...Wait! Maxim! Maxim you're our best chance! You're the best swordfighter we have, and probably the only one who's a match for those monsters!"

To this Maxim said, "Huh? Well, okay. I suppose if I go after a horde of monsters it'll be good for my job. Sure, I'll do it." "Great!" Said Daisy. "We're counting on you!" Said the boy. "Go get 'em Maxim!" Said a girl who was listening. "Okay, well I'm off!" Said Maxim. He started walking toward the town border, which he knew was like a haven. He left town just as calmly as he entered, never faltering in his step. Turning toward the bridge to the north, he started walking toward it.

Almost immediately after crossing it, he saw a lizard running toward him as fast as its little legs could carry him. It lunged and tried to bite him, but he moved to the right and drew the knife he used for hunting. He held it out so the blade faced the lizard, and it was sliced in half. Maxim knelt down and washed the blood off of his knife, and continued. He got inside the cave with no further interruptions, and walked toward where he knew the door that was now locked was.

Almost halfway there, he had to cut down another lizard, and there was a mushroom that seemed to be guarding the door. The mushrooms were stronger than the lizards, but Maxim was able to cut down either kind easily. Looking at the door, he realized that indeed, it was locked. He wasn't watching his back, however, and a monster was able to sneak up on him. It couldn't get close enough for an attack, however, before Maxim's well developed senses alerted him. He turned to look in the direction from which he came, and there was a lizardman closing in on him, holding a club. This time, Maxim drew a weapon more suited for battle; a battle knife. The lizardman raised its club, and Maxim readied his weapon. The lizardman grunted, then said, "You've come for the key but you can't have it!" Maxim growled, and as the club came down, Maxim's knife came up. They met, Maxim using his weapon defensively at the time, and then Maxim and the monster each jumped back.

They ran at each other, and clashed weapons again and again. The stalemate continued, but Maxim was slowly tiring while the monster seemed to have endless stamina reserves. In the next clash they had, the lizardman was able to gain the upper hand, knocking Maxim's battle knife away. It was thrust into the wall, and Maxim looked back at it. When the lizardman saw this, it said, "Didn't your mentor ever teach you not to take your eyes off your opponent?" Maxim looked back at the monster, only to have the club strike his arm. Maxim cried out as the club broke his arm, and growled as he ran toward his weapon. He tried to get it out of the wall, and though he did, it took longer than he expected.

Wielding his weapon, he smirked and said, "Sorry, I didn't have a mentor." The lizardman simply grunted and ran at Maxim again. Maxim ran at the monster too, but he dodged the club instead of meeting it in a clash. Because of what had happened so far, he decided that evasion was better in this case than defense. Getting around the club and thus past the monster's defenses, Maxim smirked and said, "Checkmate." He brought his knife up through the monster's body and though it wasn't quite cut in half, the wound was well into the realm of fatality. The almost halved lizardman fell to the ground, and Maxim did his best to clean his knife with one arm.

Finding the key he came for on the lizardman's person, he grabbed it and sighed as he looked at his arm. Looking at the key next, he thought, "How could this lizard man have been smart enough to steal the key? And intelligence aside, why would it have done this in the first place? What did it have to gain by doing this? I just don't get it."

As if in response to Maxim's thoughts, a young lady seemed to appear in the room from nowhere. Walking slowly toward Maxim, she said to him, "Do you wish to know why, Maxim?" Maxim gasped and turned to face the lady before asking, "Wh...who are you? How did you know my name?" The lady simply chuckled before replying, "I can see the future. I know your name and why you've come here." Maxim simply responded to this by asking, "Really? Well, who are you?" The lady now seemed somewhat impatient as she said, "Never mind. Don't you want to know why monsters are getting smarter and beginning to attack humans?"

Maxim became more relaxed by now, and calmly yet very curiously asked, "Why do you ask? You mean to tell me that you know?" The lady nodded in response, then further responded by asking, "You'rs aware of the ball of red light that appeared a couple of days ago,correct?" Maxim didn't know what this lady could be getting at, but he replied, "Yes, I am." Appearing somewhat hesitant, the lady said to Maxim, "Well, everything that's happened has been because of that ball of light." This explanation was the last thing Maxim expected and in response to it all he could say was, "What? How can you expect me to believe that a ball of light has that kind of power."

To this, the lady said to Maxim, "I understand your doubt. It is unbelievable, and yet it's true. But now isn't the time for speculation, something must be done. The monster attacks are minor for now, but they will become worse with time...much worse." Now Maxim was in even more disbelief. He said to the lady, "That's ridiculous! Why are you telling me this anyway?" "Because...you have the power, the power to stop this." Stated the lady. Maxim was more baffled than disbelieving of this comment, and he asked the lady, "What? I have the-" "Yes Maxim, you do." Said the lady, possibly agitated that Maxim wasn''t getting the picture.

Maxim, still pretty skeptical about this, said to the lady, "Wait a minute. It's true that fighting is my job, that much is I know. But still, I don't see how I could be what you're saying I am." The lady didn't say a thing in response, so Maxim tried a different approach, asking, "What is this ball of light anyway? Is it a monster or a human?" Again there was silence from the lady, but this time Maxim was persistent. He said to her, this time in a more demanding tone, "If this really isn't some hoax, then I need to know what I'm supposed to do."

The lady sighed, and Maxim decided that he might be getting somewhere. Deciding that it was important, the lady said to Maxim, "First of all, it's not just you who's involved. There are others in this world who can confront this evil power. Your destiny is to go on a journey to meet those people and fight against evil." Maxim was baffled again as he asked the lady, "A journey...to fight? Really?" The lady responded to this rather quickly, saying, "That's right. When that ball of light appeared, your destiny was sealed." Maxim sighed, and thought to himself, "Will that ball of light really bring misfortune? And I have the power to handle that?"

"I'm sorry, but this is all I can tell you." Said the lady, quite suddenly. She then continued by saying, "Whether or not you believe me and go on your journey is totally up to you." The lady then started walking away. When she reached the door that led back the way Maxim came, Maxim ran to her, calling to her, "Wait!" The lady stopped Maxim from falling over, then said to him, "My name is Iris. I am here to make certain what it is you choose to make your future. If you go on this journey, we may meet again." She then continued out. Maxim stood there in silence for a moment, thinking, "I suppose I have only one choice." Then he made his way outside and back to Elcid.


	3. A Not So Natural Disaster

Chapter 2: A Not So Natural Disaster

Returning to Elcid, Maxim checks his arm and realizes that the fracture has been completely healed. Thankful for that, Maxim wonders briefly what happened to heal it, then continues on his way. He was going to Tia's shop again, but he noticed that it was getting late and decided it best to wait until the next morning. He walked inside the inn and waved to the keeper, a rather average man with blonde hair and dressed in a green shirt under white overalls. The keeper smiled, and said to Maxim, "Hey Maxim! It's getting to be pretty late, eh? Geez, you're a mess. Where were you?"

To this, Maxim replied in a stoic tone, "I was in the cave up north, taking care of the problem up there." The Inn Keeper turned his back as Maxim explained what happened in more detail, cleaning various things and walking around the inn performing an inspection but all the while listening to Maxim's tale. He walked back to behind the counter just in time for Maxim to finish the story, and he said, "That's our Maxim! Nothing's too difficult for you, is it?"

Maxim was somewhat disbelieving about whether what the keeper said held the truth, but he replied, "Well, I wouldn't say that. There are quite a few things I'm not too good at." The inn keeper closed his eyes and replied, "Eh, if you say so. Now, did you come here needing a place to rest?" Maxim simply yet hesitantly nodded, to which the keeper replied, "Well don't worry. To me you're like family. You know you're always welcome here. I just fixed up the beds, so go ahead to the back. There'll be no charge." "Oh really? Wow, thanks!" Exclaimed Maxim. He stretched and yawned, then chuckled briefly before saying, "I guess today took more out of me than I thought." He walked to the back, and without even bothering to change into something perhaps more suitable for sleep, he flopped onto the bed that he chose and was soon asleep.

As Maxim slept, he had a strange dream. It was a dream involving the woman Iris, her message to Maxim, and hesitance from Maxim seeming to result in the red ball of light Iris mentioned flying overhead and crashing into the ground. This resulted in a massive explosion from which an army of monsters seemed to suddenly appear and exterminate all of humanity before dancing all over their writhing, dying bodies. At that point, Maxim saw his own face bright and clear, as well as three other faces that seemed to be obscured by the darkness. The faces suddenly vanished to make way for the presence of a sword-shaped silhouette that was also obscured by the darkness.

Maxim woke then, and was surprised to find that morning had come. Blinking, he asked himself, "How long was I asleep?" He rubbed his forehead, then smiled and waved a farewell to the innkeeper as he left, determined to be on his way to Tia's shop as he had intended to do the previous day. Almost as soon as he walked inside the shop, he was embraced by Tia, who cried into the man's chest with relief. Maxim was confused, though that confusion didn't last very long as Tia exclaimed,

"Maxim! Thank goodness you're here! I had this really strange feeling." "Oh? About what?" Asked Maxim. Tia swallowed hard, then replied, "Well, I had a feeling that you were going somewhere, or worse that you had hurt yourself..." Maxim laughed nervously before saying, "Tia, you don't need to worry about me. You know that." Tia laughed in response, then said to Maxim, "Yeah, you're right. I don't need to worry. So what's up? Did you need something?" Maxim nodded and reached into the pouch where he keeps his money. He pulled out 20 gold pieces, and said to Tia, "I'm here to buy a boomerang. I don't know why, but I have a feeling it'll come in handy."

"Oh? Well okay." Said Tia. She went into the back and grabbed a boomerang from one of the boxes. She gave it to Maxim after returning to the counter, and took the 20 gold pieces before saying farewell. Maxim walked quickly to the border of the city, and after looking back just once, he hurried to the cave separating Elcid from Sundletan. He was met at the entrance of the cave by a lizard, but after that he didn't really find much resistance. Returning to where he met Iris, Maxim used the key he obtained from the corpse of the lizard man he fought to unlock the door that led outside on the side of the cave where Sundletan is located. Outside, Maxim located the border of the village of Sundletan. Just as he was about to make a dash for it however, he spotted two blue jellies coming his way.

Maxim got ready to fight, but as they were right on top of him, there was a sudden earthquake that caused Maxim to fall on his rear. The jellies continued to come after Maxim, and as the earthquake stopped he leapt into a standing position and stepped out of the way, then turned and sliced one of the jellies in half. He quickly made another slicing motion with his sword arm, and the second jelly was soon with its buddy on the ground in two pieces. Maxim wiped a bead of sweat from his brow before making his way to Sundletan after the not so nice encounter. Within the border of Sundletan, a young man, maybe a year younger than Maxim, with blue hair and a simple blue cloth outfit started to greet Maxim, but then noticed that he was somewhat dirty. Because of this, he asked Maxim, "Did you fall when that last earthquake hit? It seemed somewhat more powerful than the others."

Maxim simply nodded before responding, "Yeah, I fell because of it. Say, any idea where it came from?" The blue haired man chuckled before replying, "Well, I would say yes, but unfortunately it's all merely theory. You see, the village elder claims to have seen a giant catfish he calls the Master Catfish, creating these earthquakes. Preposterous if you ask me. How can a fish create earthquakes anyway? And on top of that, why would it? Although whatever it is, the earthquakes have destroyed the bridge in the small shrine to the north."

Maxim groaned softly, then asked the blue haired man, "The village elder you said? Where is he?" To this, the blue haired man replied, "I don't see why it matters, but he lives in the biggest house in the village. It's at the very back, you can't miss it." "Thanks." Said Maxim. He then made his way silently toward the house vaguely mentioned by the young man, simply as the biggest house in the village.

Once in front of it, Maxim knocked on the rather overly decorated door and got the response of, "Who is it?" The young man cleared his throat, and replied, "I am called Maxim. I need to speak to you about something very important." There was a gruff, unmistakably elderly sigh of exasperation, and then the voice from inside said, "Oh alright. I haven't been able to sleep anyway because of that blasted catfish." The door opened, revealing an old man who was unusually fit for his age. He turned away and walked toward a chair to sit down, then beckoned Maxim inside. Once Maxim was inside and closed the door, the old man asked him, "So, what was it you wanted to speak to me about?" "Well, actually it's about your claim that there's a catfish causing trouble."

Replied Maxim. The old man gasped suddenly before saying, "So...does that mean you believe me?" To this, Maxim responded, "Actually it depends. I want to investigate the problem so I need you to tell me where you saw this catfish." The elder smiled softly, then said, "I can tell from the look in your eyes that you believe me. You will find the catfish in the basin deep within the Lake Cave to the northwest. Thank you, young man." Maxim sighed softly before saying, "Sure thing old man. I'm outta here." He walked toward the door and turned the knob, stepping outside before jogging toward the western village border. Now beyond said border, Maxim immediately noticed a bridge crossing the southern edge of the lake to the north, where there was an island in the center of the lake.

Maxim chuckled before saying, "Well, this must be the Lake Cave. Pretty unmistakable." He approached the entrance and suddenly there was another quake. As a result of this one Maxim stumbled but did not fall. Like with the previous one it was for some odd reason accompanied by monsters. This time there were three, a Mosquito, a Bat, and a Spider. Maxim heaved a sigh and drew his hunting knife. Looking at it he sighed again and put it away before drawing the Battle Knife he used against the Lizard Man.

He assumed a combat stance and made the first move, rushing forward with a ferocity that surprised the monsters. Before they could regain their bearings, Maxim slashed the Spider into two pieces, spilling its blood on the grass. This worried the bat, who flew the coop leaving just the Mosquito. It seemed somewhat worried, but it didn't flee. Maxim got closer and without losing a bit of his composure the whole time, he slashed the Mosquito cleanly in two. Thrusting his knife into the ground, he wiped a bit of sweat from his brow and sighed. Pulling his knife from the ground, he stated, "Time to get moving." He cleaned the blade and sheathed the knife before proceeding in.

Inside he immediately encountered a Blue Jelly. Just one. He quickly killed it and readied his short bow, seeing a lever on an island to his left, sitting in water that's too shallow a depth for him to use. He shot the handle of the lever, having precise enough aim and enough strength to get a hit that moved the handle. It swung to the other side of the mechanism in which the handle rested, and the ground started to shake softly as water rushed into the room, raising the water level to a usable depth. Now extremely glad that he's wearing lightweight armor, Maxim dove in the water and swam north. Pulling himself up and out of the water, he cut down a mosquito that almost seemed to have been waiting for him, and then opened the door before him in order to delve further into the cave.

Beyond the door was an ambush by a Blue Jelly. It jumped on Maxim's arm, causing him to scream in agony as it released its powerful digestive enzymes to feed. Maxim tried to shake the jelly off but it was stuck on. Growling, he drew his hunting knife and twirled it in his hand so it was pointed at the jelly. The monster was stabbed, and it slumped off of Maxim's arm. It was dead, but Maxim was wounded. Reaching into his pack, he took out a potion and quickly drank it. Within seconds his wound closed up and he was ready to roll again.

He didn't get very far before a mosquito was in front of him. Maxim growled and yelled, "I think I've had enough monsters for one day!" He rushed forward, drawing his battle knife and sliced the insect in two. The pieces fell behind him and he moved on. Slowly and carefully opening the door, Maxim slipped through and, to his great relief there was nothing waiting in ambush. Sighing, he walked forward and found a Baby Frog to his left, and a Beetle to his right. They both noticed him at the same time, and rushed at him. He jumped over the frog, causing it to run into the Beetle. He landed and spun on his heel, quickly slicing the frog with his Battle Knife, and then stepped around the corpse to quickly kill the dazed Beetle. With both monsters now dead, Maxim pressed onward, only to be shaken by another earthquake. When that ended, he looked forward and saw the door he had been approaching. Getting to his feet, he tried to open the door, only to find it sealed for some reason. He looked to his left and found only a wall. To his right, however, was a lever across a hole.

Maxim readied his bow and took aim, striking the lever straight on with the arrow so the mechanism was activated. He heard the whirring of gears indicating that something was happening, and then a section the wall that was now behind him moved down into the floor to reveal a path. Maxim shrugged his shoulders and walked along the new path, which led him to a door that he was able to open. Walking into the next chamber, he found a large pond. He cautiously approached and suddenly the most intense earthquake yet hit, causing Maxim to lose his footing and fall on his butt. From the depths of the pond a huge fish, a catfish to be exact, surfaced, a smile on its face. The smile soon faded, and the catfish said,

"So you are the only man man enough to come play with me? Such cowardice the people above show me. Oh well, might as well make the best of it." "Wait what? What are you talking about?" Asked Maxim. As an answer to his question there was another earthquake. Maxim growled when he felt it, and yelled, "So you're the one! The elder was right! Well enough of it, the entire village is in distress!" The catfish laughed, though it sounded more like a series of bellows. He then glared at Maxim before mockingly saying, "Of course I'll stop...if you can beat me. That won't happen though." "Say what?" Asked Maxim. The catfish smiled again, and bellowed, "Prepare yourself, little man!"

Maxim's eyes got somewhat wider as he looked at the catfish. It was glowing, and that could only mean that it was getting ready for something. Something, yes, but what? He soon found out as an energy bolt quickly rose from the catfish's body, causing the glowing to cease. The energy bolt made an arc in its path, and fell on Maxim as the fish yelled, "Flash!" Maxim cried out in sheer agony, feeling as though a thousand blades were stabbing him all over his body while he was being burned alive. The spell ended, and Maxim's pupils had shrunk to almost non-existence. Lightning arced over his body, and continued to do so even as he collapsed. The catfish laughed and said, "Oops, I think I may have overdone it a little."

It continued to laugh, and when Maxim started moving it assumed he was seizing and laughed harder. Maxim, however, was not, which he demonstrated by jumping to his feet and throwing the Boomerang he purchased from Tia. It flew swiftly, smacking into the fish and then falling into the water. Maxim, however, merely shrugged his shoulders, and drew his Battle Knife, which was sparking with electrical energy. At first Maxim thought his knife had somehow absorbed some of the catfish's spell, but then he remembered what someone once told him. Thinking back, Maxim recalled that someone once told him that there are some weapons, armor, etc that change slightly, gaining extra abilities in response to rage. These things had long ago been given a classification aside that of weapons, armor, etc.

They were labelled as Ikari Gear, or something like that. Thinking for a moment, Maxim softly said, "Could this Battle Knife be one of them?" The catfish was stunned by the electrical blade, and apparently frightened, it said, "I-Ikari..." Maxim smirked and looked at the fish with weapon in hand. He rushed toward the pool in which the catfish sat surfaced, looking fearstruck at Maxim. Gathering up the nerve to speak, it said in desperation, "Okay, I yield! I'll never roll out another earthquake I swear! Just please, put that thing away." Maxim stopped and looked at the catfish, whose fear was convincing enough for him to give in. He turned toward the door, sheathed the Battle Knife, and said, "Know this catfish. If I ever recieve word of your actions again, there will be no mercy."

As he walked toward the door, the catfish said, "Yes, I know." Maxim returned to Sundletan and as he walked in, the blue-haired man who seems to act as a village guard ran up to him, saying, "Hey Maxim, didn't you go to the Lake Cave after talking to the elder?" "Yes, I did. Why do you ask and how did you know my name?" Asked Maxim. The blue-haired man said to him, "Well, a young woman came here looking for you. I told her you went to the Lake Cave, and she left immediately so I assumed you two must have bumped into each other." "Oh? Did you happen to catch her name?" Asked Maxim. The blue-haired man shook his head and replied, "I didn't get a chance to ask her name. She was quite the beauty though."

After a bit of thought, added to the fact that the man also told him that the bridge was under construction, Maxim decided to return to the Lake Cave. Apparently there was a woman in the Lake Cave who he failed to run into. Back in the Lake Cave, he ventured through the entire cave, but found nothing. Deciding to return to the catfish's lair, he ended up summoning it from its sleep when he did. It looked at Maxim, and sighed before saying, "You again? I gave you my word and I've been keeping it. It hasn't even been that long. What could you want." Maxim made no move of hostility, and instead simply asked, "Do you know if a young woman came in here?" The catfish closed its eyes, and after a few moments opened them again. He looked intently at Maxim, and said to him, "There is a young woman in a chamber that you probably overlooked.

A Goblin and a Skeleton are in there as well. I don't know what they're doing in there, but I'll tell you how to get there if you feel you need to go." Maxim nodded gratefully, and after getting the directions he went on his way to the designated chamber. The door was open, so he entered. Looking around he heard the crack of a Battle Whip. He looked to his right and saw Tia attempting to use a Battle Whip to keep the Goblin and Skeleton at bay. Maxim growled and ran toward Tia, getting between her and the monsters with his Battle Knife drawn. "Maxim?" Asked Tia. Maxim looked back at Tia and asked her, "Tia, what are you doing here?" "Well, I-" Started Tia. She was interrupted by Maxim, who said, "Nevermind Tia, we'll talk after I take out the trash!"

He turned back to the monsters and growled before slashing with his weapon at the Goblin. It just barely blocked, but it couldn't block the second attack. The Battle Knife cut the Goblin almost in half, and it was dead in an instant. Next was the skeleton, a somewhat more difficult foe. Not only was its sword stronger than a goblin''s club, but some of them have a nasty habit of pulling themselves back together. He slashed at it a couple of times, and though it blocked the first few attacks, like the Goblin it faltered before long. A couple of good slashes and it didn't last long. Maxim turned to Tia and said, "Let's talk outside. It's too dangerous out here." To this Tia replied, "Maxim...thank you." Together they left, bound for Sundletan.


End file.
